RIORDAN PUSHES ATTORNEY SPLIT; MAYOR ASKS REFORM PANEL TO SPLIT POST INTO CIVIL, CRIMINAL OFFICES.Byline: David R. Baker Daily News Staff Writer Speaking to a group trying to rewrite re·write v. re·wrote , re·writ·ten , re·writ·ing, re·writes v.tr. 1. To write again, especially in a different or improved form; revise. 2. Los Angeles' City Charter, Mayor Richard Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, U.S. who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. pushed his proposal Saturday for effectively splitting the position of City Attorney into civil and criminal offices. Riordan said the city should have separate city attorneys in charge of criminal and civil cases, commissioners said after the meeting. The attorney handling civil cases would be appointed by the mayor while voters would continue to choose the attorney taking criminal cases. Riordan first made the proposal last fall as part of a package of proposals aimed at strengthening the so-called weak-mayor form of government now in place. It was immediately resisted by current City Attorney James Hahn For the Iowa politician, see . James Kenneth "Jim" Hahn (born July 3, 1950) is an American politician from the Democratic Party. He was the Deputy City Attorney (1975-1979), City Controller (1981-1985), City Attorney (1985-2001) and Mayor of Los Angeles, California , who repeated his complaints Saturday. Hahn told the city's elected Charter Reform Commission that allowing Los Angeles' mayor to appoint even a City Attorney for civil matters would diminish the post's independence. The commission - one of two groups working to update the blueprint for Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. government - did not vote on the issue Saturday. But commission President Erwin Chemerinsky Erwin Chemerinsky (born 1953) is a well-known professor of Constitutional law and federal civil procedure, has recently accepted a position at the University of California, Irvine, in the new Donald Bren School of Law, beginning in 2009. sided with Hahn after the meeting, saying two city attorneys would be both expensive and unwise. ``It's crucial to retain a check,'' Chemerinsky said. ``I want a city attorney there who can say no to the mayor.'' Commission member Marcos Castaneda, one of several representing the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , said he had not yet decided on the proposal. The commission is currently assembling a list of proposed changes to the decades-old charter. Once complete, the list will be placed before Los Angeles residents for a vote. The fate of the City Attorney's Office was just one of several issues tackled by the commission Saturday. Commissioners agreed to revamp re·vamp tr.v. re·vamped, re·vamp·ing, re·vamps 1. To patch up or restore; renovate. 2. To revise or reconstruct (a manuscript, for example). 3. To vamp (a shoe) anew. n. how the city would hire and fire managers of the departments that govern Los Angeles' airports, harbor, and water and power services. |
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